Italian Producer Massimo Cristaldi, Who Shepherded ‘Sicilian Ghost Story,’ Dies at 66

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs they celebrate being held as a physical event, Italy’s upcoming 67th David di Donatello Awards epitomize the ongoing shift in generations and genres that is underway in Cinema Italiano. Leading the pack this year are seasoned auteur Paolo Sorrentino’s most personal film “The Hand of God” and young helmer Gabriele Mainetti’s second feature, the elegant effects-laden historical fantasy “Freaks Out,” which is set in 1943 Rome and involves four “freaks” working in a circus when the Eternal City is bombed by Allied Forces.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorDealmaking and double-crossing ran deep in the third season of HBO’s “Succession.” Power dynamics shifted as did loyalties to patriarch Logan Roy, played by Brian Cox. For composer Nicholas Britell, that meant finding a score with a lot of movement.“In season three, there’s a lot of this feeling of things being a little off-kilter,” says Britell of his approach to the score.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMunich-based sales agency Beta Cinema has closed sales to several major territories for stylish comic-book adaptation “Diabolik,” which is among the leaders in the race for Italy’s top film awards – the David di Donatello Awards – with 11 nominations. Beta Cinema will kick off presales on the film’s sequels in Cannes.“Diabolik” has been acquired by buyers in France (Metropolitan), Spain (Flins & Piniculas), and Latin America and Portugal (Sun Distribution Group).

The Tale Of King Crab, a cinematically striking fable shot in rural Italy and Argentina, opened to a three-day gross of $5,120 at Film at Lincoln Center this weekend — the first in a string of Italian offerings set to arrive on the specialty scene through the summer.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are living life in the slow lane, but it's OK because a couple of kiddos were behind the wheel!The Duke and Duchess of Sussex enjoyed quite the ride Saturday in The Hague, Netherlands where they attended the first event at the 2022 Invictus Games. The royal couple was there to kickoff the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge, which pits 500 competitors from 20 countries in a specially designed course built at Zuiderpark.

ROME -- Letizia Battaglia, an Italian photographer who documented the arrests of Mafia bosses and the bodies of their victims, has died in her native Sicilian city of Palermo. She was 87.Among the authorities announcing her death was Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando, who stood vigil next to her coffin during her wake in city hall on Thursday, a day after her death.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine has set Chinese-Italian co-production “The Italian Recipe” as the opening title of a revived, largely in-person event.The film, directed by Hou Zuxin, sees an unexpected series of events bring together a Chinese reality TV show contestant and a woman already resident in Italy. The collision of personalities, connections and chemistry between stars Liu Xun and Yao Huang resemble those of “Roman Holiday,” festival organizers suggest.

Rachael Ray is bringing her home renovation adventure to the small screen.

Naman Ramachandran BBC Studios’ BAFTA nominated amateur sewing competition format “The Great Sewing Bee” from Love Productions and “This is MY House,” the guessing game from Expectation, will be adapted for Discovery in Italy.The six-part Italian version of “The Great Sewing Bee,” is produced locally by Blu Yazmine and will stream air on Discovery June in June, followed by Real Time in the fall. Known locally as “Tailor Made – Chi ha la stoffa?,” the competition hosted by Tommaso Zorzi follows a group of competitors who will race against the clock in three sewing challenges each week in a bid to be crowned the country’s best amateur sewer.

Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion have gotten super close since collaborating on their new song, “Sweetest Pie.” So, why not reference another iconic music duo while presenting an award at the GRAMMYs?At the ceremony on Sunday, April 3, the duo--who are both previous winners of the GRAMMY for Best New Artist--presented Olivia Rodrigo wiith the honor for 2022. As they announced the nominees for the evening, the musicians threw it back to 1998 to reference an iconic moment between Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.Megan and Dua were wearing matching Versace ensembles, which led to the “WAP” rapper saying, “Not you stealing my look.”“I was told I had the exclusive,” Lipa replied. “I’m going to have to have a talk with Donatella.”That’s when the famous Italian fashion designer emerged from the crowd to work her magic on the dresses.“You know what? Let’s do this,” she told the artists, transforming the ensembles and leaving Dua with a mini skirt and Megan in a thigh-high midi slit, saving them from a fashion faux pas.J Balvin and Valentina Ferrer exude style on the 2022 Grammy red carpetThese are all the Latin nominees and winners at the 2022 Grammy Awards (Updating Live)Kanye West & Olivia Rodrigo could make Grammy historyThe bit was a call-back to a moment from the 1998 Grammy Awards, where Mariah and Whitney presented together in matching Vera Wang wrap dresses.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentTV production is growing in Italy, where U.S. streamers are gradually raising their investment levels just as pubcaster RAI, which is still the industry’s main driver, is cutting back.According to local TV producers association APA, the Italian market in 2022 will generate more than €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) worth of scripted content resulting in double-digit growth.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe latest batch of Italian TV series for the international market is a mix of genres spanning from a new Elena Ferrante adaptation made for Netflix, to two RAI reconstructions of the country’s terrorism-plagued past and Sky’s spaghetti Western “Django.”DjangoThis English-language reimagining of the world of “Django,” the cult 1966 Sergio Corbucci spaghetti Western that launched the career of Italian icon Franco Nero, is a Sky Studios and Canal Plus original. The show’s cast includes Noomi Rapace, Nicholas Pinnock and Matthias Schoenaerts.

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